


Magical Rain

by 0archangel0



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Cat Ears, Cat Sherlock Holmes, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exploration, Fluff, Gen, Magical Realism, Mental Health Issues, Rain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:00:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27798871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0archangel0/pseuds/0archangel0
Summary: Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.     - John UpdikeThe thing is...rain doesn’t feel like life. Rain feels wet and cold. Rain causes people to seek shelter and when they do, you are reminded that you have none. No shelter. No home. Noone is waiting for you at home. Rain feels…WHAE!
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23
Collections: Holmestice Exchange - Winter 2020





	Magical Rain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [simplyclockwork](https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplyclockwork/gifts).



> Hope you like this little catlock drabble!  
> Betaed by my amazing friend @luneofmeadow (Tumblr)

Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life. - John Updike

_ The thing is...rain doesn’t feel like life. Rain feels wet and cold. Rain causes people to seek shelter and when they do, you are reminded that you have none. No shelter. No home. Noone is waiting for you at home. Rain feels… _

WHAE! 

John almost jumped when his thought was suddenly interrupted by  what sounded like a baby’s cry. He was on his way back from his therapist, soaked from the rain. What a lousy day. There, he heard it again. A little quieter than before but still just as desperate. It seemed to come from an alley. Without a thought, John ran over the street to the dark alley. 

_ Who the frick would leave a baby there??? _

He searched the trash bins, frantically scrambling for some sign of life.  _ Maybe rain could be life? _

“SSSSSS” something suddenly hissed right next to him. A few bins were enclosed in a fenced box with a lid. As he leaned in closer , two glowing orbs suddenly popped up. 

“Lord, you gave me a fright.” he sighed relievedly when he realized it seemed to be a black cat that had gotten stuck in the fencing. Slowly, he took his hand from his hip,  where his gun had rested a few months ago, and reached for the little thing. When he pulled his hand back, it had 4 long scratches on it that were bleeding ever so slightly. 

“Little bastard. I’m just trying to help!” he muttered as he pulled his jacket off and covered the black thing with it. He held the squirming bundle close as he slowly released the trapped paw and then continued holding it tightly as he walked back to his bedsit. 

Once the door was closed, he let go of the bundle and a black flash immediately disappeared underneath the bed. John dried himself off, switched into comfortable clothes and started making dinner. He made some for the cat too, some pasta with the last can of tuna he had. 

“C’mere, I got you food.”, he informed the cat as he set down the little bowl close to his bed. As soon as his hand was gone from the bowl, a black paw appeared from underneath the bed and pulled the bowl into the darkness. “Well, bon appetit I guess.” John chuckled.

He didn’t see or hear anything from underneath the bed for the rest of the evening. 

“Would you mind coming out of there? I’m afraid I’ll squish you if I just sleep in my bed.”

He asked the cat softly as he peeked underneath the bed. Those green orbs were watching him.

_ Not sure if seeing a smile would be nice or creepy. _

After trying to get the cat out with some salami and some cooing, John gave up and made himself at home on his small sofa. 

“Goodnight, little fellow.” He mumbled as he slowly drifted off to the sound of rain.

A different sound awoke him, a low grumbling followed by a flash of lightning. There was a proper thunderstorm outside and John padded to the window to watch.  _ Thunderstorms don’t feel sad, they feel powerful and destructive and angry. But more than anything, they feel...  _

MEW!

John jumped a little when the deep black piece of void suddenly showed up next to him. The cat pressed against his legs, shivering and seeking warmth. 

“Don’t you dare scratch me, Mister.” he scrunched his nose at the cat when he picked it up. it seemed to stretch to double its length until the paws finally were in the air. He wrapped the little thing up in his blanket and held it against his chest. 

“There we are. Better? I really need to look at your wounds, how about doing that now? You’ll even get some milk for it.” he offered in a calm voice as he closed the blinds and switched on his lights.

With his aid kit open, he finally dared to unwrap the cat enough to look at his wounds. The green irises and deep balck pupils followed every single one of his moves as if he had personally insulted the poor thing. They only shifted away from him when the cat’s nose twitched, recognizing the smell of milk. Once the cat was all focused on the small bowl of lactose-free milk he had set down on a tray on the sofa, John gingerly began inspecting and cleaning the wounds. Its tiny pink tongue darted out with the speed of light and hit the milk, making it splatter before disappearing again. The only noise in the flat was the sound of splashing milk and laboured breathing from the cat. It was nice and quiet. Peaceful, except for the light grumbling that was still going on outside. The cat’s ears shifted every time and its eyes seemed to dart to the window, seemingly aware of where the sounds came from.

The bandaging was done just in time with the last of the milk having disappeared and John let out a breath he had been holding. He was done, no problem if the cat disappeared now. He was about to get up and send the cat away when he remembered the thunderstorm outside. The little fella looked at him expectantly, as if they were waiting for a decision they knew were to come. 

“You may stay the night. Just don’t destroy my things.” He mumbled as he fetched an old pillow and an old throw to make a makeshift bed for the cat on the sofa. 

“Don’t pee on my sofa.” he grumbled one last time before going to bed.

Even after switching off the lights, he could still see the two green orbs looking at him from behind the sofa. Even worse- he could feel them. It was a piercing look, not hostile but questioning and somehow all-pervasive.

A cold shudder ran down his back but a mere second later the feeling was gone and all that remained was his warm bed and fluffy pillow that lured him to sleep.

_ Sand. Dry. Danger. Warmth. Heavy. Buried. Underneath something. Someone. JAMES! _

John woke up with a startled shout and found himself unable to stumble out of bed as he usually did. On his chest was a furry black blob holding him down. Two furry ears with white tips perked up and John’s eyes met those bright eyes again. The piercing stare returned but soon it softened and a low rumble escaped the black thing. For a moment, John thought it might attack but a calming vibration reached his chest and he realized the kitten was purring. 

“Sorry for waking you.” he whispered to the cat as his head sunk back into the pillow. It was barely morning anyways and the cat didn’t seem to let him get up soon, which meant a little more snoozing was in order. 

Surprisingly enough, John managed to stay in bed for about another hour but it was not a pleasant one. He often had night terrors, far too often according to his therapist. The ones with him always were the worst. Nothing had ever felt as wonderful and then as utterly painful as the name James. He doubted that would ever change. And he doubted there would ever be enough space for another person in his heart again. 

'Brrrp?' the cat remarked from his chest as it sat up and stretched to double its length. 

It then sat on John's chest, lightly pawing at his face. The feeling of soft fur and little toe beans against his face immediately made John smile. His chest felt all warm from the inside. 

"Come on, bud. Let's get some food." He nodded as he sat up slowly, the cat following his movements.

After a proper breakfast, John opened the door for the cat and it strode out with its nose and tail held high. After one quick rub against John's leg to say goodbye, it strode down the street like it was the king of the city and again John found himself smiling stupidly. 

_ It is a goddamn cat, John. _ He told himself but whenever he saw a cat throughout the next days or whenever he found fur on his clothes, his chest ached a little and the corners of his lips twitched upwards ever so slightly.

\-----

_ Great, another rainy night. _ And again it was all wet and cold. John had to limp home as quickly as he could with his jacket pulled over his head. Once he finally got home, he was soaked and too busy muttering to himself about London rain to notice the small shadow that disappeared inside the front door with him. Only when he had climbed up the stairs and was fumbling to get the keys into the lock with his shaking hands, he felt someone stare at him. He turned around but the staircases were empty as far as he could see. 

_ Finally becoming insane, eh. _ He continued fumbling with his keys to finally get the door open. Something touched his leg and before he could realize it, something had slipped into the flat. A burst of panic caught him but as soon as he was inside, his chest warmed up and a small smile stretched across his lips, 

"Oi, little visitor. Come on, we both need to dry off before we can snuggle." John didn’t realise the small hint of joy in his voice when he lifted the familiar black bundle from the blanket it had claimed as theirs. 

Once both of them were dry, the cat wasted no time to snuggle up on its blanket, pressed against John's leg.  _ Rain was cold. Company was warm. _

John smiled and hesitantly began petting the cat. Its ears perked up in confusion but soon, they lowered and the cat's entire body began eagerly pressing into his hand. 

"Good chap!" 

John praised quietly which caused the green orbs to stare at him again in a pleasant way. For a second, they disappeared as the cat gave him a slow blink. John blinked back automatically, without really being aware of what it might mean.

This time, the cat stayed even as the rain let up. Heaviness and vibrating on his chest became ordinary for John which didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate it. It was warm and comfortable and it somehow felt very safe and protected. It rained more than he liked and he still got soaked regularly but it was worth it when the cat threw him a glance that seemed to say “Really? Again? Take an umbrella next time!” and didn’t dare to rub on his legs. He was still glad not to be all alone anymore. The next sunny day, he invited the cat for a little walk and it calmly strode around in the park, always coming back to John. 

“I’d love a hotdog right now,” a deep baritone voice suddenly said in John’s head but when he turned around, there was no one else around except for an old lady feeding the ducks. He shrugged it off but his little friend confidently steered him towards a hotdog stand. 

“You take the bun, I take the sausage,” the voice said but again, no one was around. __

_ Shit. I am crazy. _ For some inexplicable reason, John still bought a hotdog and split it in two before offering one half to the food to the cat. It only took the sausage and gave him an appreciative glance.  _ Weird.  _

_ \----- _

“You idiot. You should have understood the concept of rain by now. It rains 106 days a year around here.” the voice, loud and clear, remarked in his brain when John came home wet the next time. 

“Is that you talking?” he asked before he realized how dumb it sounded. He shook his head with a small chuckle until the voice snapped “Yes! it works? That’s great!”.

John slumped onto the sofa, looking more closely at the cat. 

“What are you? Why can I hear you?” he mumbled, trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible, while billions of thoughts raced through his head.

_ Is this some magic wizardy thing? Maybe I’m just crazy. Should I get rid of him if I hear him again? But he is … cute. _

“Quit thinking and dry yourself off, you are getting the sofa wet and I want to greet you properly.” The deep voice remarked a little more softly and John decided to listen.

Once he was dry, he sat on the sofa and the black fluff crawled into his lap. As soon as his friend was comfortable and purring, John covered them in a blanket and slowly pet those utterly soft ears. 

“So what is all of this about? The talking. Am I just crazy?” he asked the little purring bundle. 

“I don’t know, I read about this but never experienced it. It is interesting and we’ll have to experiment the next few days. Just calm down for now, your heart is beating awfully fast.” the voice-  _ the cat’s voice? _ \- responded. 

The cat got up on his long legs and gently rubbed its little head against John’s chest as if it wanted to help slow his heart down this way. Surprisingly enough, it worked pretty well. John  continued petting the sweet little cat and soon, he was comfortably dozing off a little. 

"Better. I don't like you being wet or panicking." the baritone voice remarked a little more quietly as the cat laid back down on his lap. 

"You are quite comfortable, who would have thought?" the cat mused as it threw John a cheeky glance. With a small chuckle, John gave the cat's body a little jiggle. This might not be so bad.

\-----

"John. Get up! You promised me breakfast 65.4 minutes ago!" the voice in his head complained again. 

"Shut up!" he growled back for the third time this morning. 

He felt a weight on top of his chest and before he could think, he had already swatted at it. The cat managed to escape by jumping towards his feet and landed ever so gracefully. 

"John. Pull yourself together. You are not supposed to be like this." the voice echoed in his head once more. 

_ Like this. Gay. Weak. Depressed. _ The tornado raging inside his mind picked up pace, whirring past his consciousness with such speed he could not grasp a clear thought anymore. Unexpectedly, John jumped up, grabbed the cat by the neck and threw it out into the stairwell, knowing it would land on its little paws. 

"I said piss off, you freak." he shouted. He found himself gritting his teeth under his breath as he closed the door loudly.

Everything felt so heavy, as if someone had tied weights to his limbs. Leaving the bed was a challenge and somehow the bed felt cold every night despite an added blanket. The entire bedsit was darker somehow and John often found himself checking the light bulbs but they all worked fine. 

\-----

A week later, when he finally managed to go out for groceries, he felt watched again. 

"You know, throwing me out into the rain was uncalled for. I just didn't want you to be like that. Aggressive. Glad you're shopping though. Maybe try taking a shower too?" a familiar voice complained lightly in his head, going from an accusing tone to a softer, almost caring one. 

"Where are you?" John grumbled with a frown as he searched his surroundings but he failed to spot his former companion. 

"Go shopping, I'll meet you outside tonight. I want to go on a walk with you." John nodded in response and did as he was told.

When evening time rolled around, he wasn't really in the mood to get up to go outside but he knew he owed the cat this one. After another 10 minutes that he spent in bed, promising himself 'In one minute I will get up' and then failing one minute after the other John put on a sweater and trousers and walked out without his jacket. Soon, a black shadow appeared beside him and they walked in silence until something cold hit his face. He touched his eyebrow and another droplet of rain hit his hand. Before he could seek shelter, it was pouring cats and dogs but the black shadow stayed next to him. 

"Told you you needed a shower." the voice remarked quietly. The quiet tone was so unusual, it made John break a little bit.

"I'm sorry. For throwing you out. I thought about it all day long. What exactly did you mean when you said you didn't want me to be like this?" he mumbled as he watched black fur get slicker and slicker, sticking to the thin frame of the cat.

"I don't like aggressive people. Or people who call me a freak." the cat remarked with a sad glance in his direction. "You know, I think you are done showering. Let's get you back inside." the voice in his head remarked and John could only nod slowly. With a hopeful glance and his right corner of the lip elevated, he asked "Come along? I could get you warmed up, snuggled into your blanket and set up with some milk?"

The moment of silence as the cat seemed to consider the offer felt like an hour. They were in front of the door when the bright green eyes looked up at him and the cat's slim body stretched upwards. Sharp claws pressed into his legs as the cat slowly pulled its upper body up, stretching to two times its length in the process. Mew? It asked aloud and John nodded, putting his freezing hands around the slim waist and lifting the slick body up. He gently lifted the cat to a height where it could rest its head on his shoulder while he supported its bum with one arm. The stairs were a bit hard to manage like this, his limp had returned and he clutched the railing to ensure he wouldn't fall with his friend in his arms. Once upstairs, he managed to open the door with a little difficulty and he immediately waddled to the bathroom in his wet shoes and dripping clothes.

In the bathroom, the cat jumped down and sat on the toilet lid, licking himself. John watched as he absent-mindedly took his shoes and socks off and removed his jumper. "You're frowning. Just ask." the cat said in his mind as their eyes connected. As he tilted his head to the side in a curious manner, John asked "Can I bathe you properly? It would warm you up."

After another few minutes of consideration which had caused John to lose all hope for a ‘yes’, the cat finally replied “I hate water. Don’t pour it over my head and don’t restrain me in any way. I will claw your eyes out if you do.” in a determined tone.

John smiled understandingly and gave the cat a gentle stroke across the head.Once the water was at the proper temperature, he let the bathtub fill up until his wrist was submerged and nodded encouragingly to the cat.

Slowly, hesitantly one black paw reached down to touch the water. Ripples danced across the surface of the water as the cat slowly slid into the tub. The water only reached up to his knees so he seemed calm. Slowly, John took a cup and scooped up some water, pouring it out in front of the cat’s eyes, allowing it to get used to the noise. “This okay?” he asked and only when the cat stepped forward, he refilled the cup and poured water over the slim shivering body.

“You’re doing well. It’s nice and warm, eh? You’re okay, no worries.” he whispered subconsciously under his breath as he warmed the cat up and gently washed him with a tiny bit of soap. When he got to the neck, he took extra precautions to prevent scaring his friend by shielding his head with a hand.

“Good job, all done. C’mere.” he grinned when he was done. Slowly, he picked the cat up in a towel and rubbed him dry. “I’ll be waiting on the sofa. Do hurry. Thanks for the bath.” the long missed voice in his head responded before the cat disappeared. It looked utterly dishevelled and fluffy now which made John smile as he stepped into the shower.

“Here you go, darling. Do you have a name, by the way?” John asked the cat as he set down another bowl of milk in front of it. He was wrapped up in a blanket next to the cat he was petting mindlessly. It came so naturally to him, he only noticed when his hand began to vibrate due to his friend purring.

“Thanks. I’ve had many names throughout the years, some more tedious than others. I think I like Sherlock the best.” the cat- Sherlock- responded before its small mouth stretched into a wide yawn, revealing his sharp teeth. 

“Sherlock. Mmh, I like that. It’s just as special as you are.” John commented quietly as he let himself slump and relax. “Are you interested in staying with me? I would like a roommate.” he asked as he considered the rain outside. It was getting winter so it would be far too cold outside for his little friend soon.

“I think I’d like to. But I am not a PET.” the voice in his head sneered. John responded with a little kiss to the cat’s damp head and a soft “Of course not, you are magical.”


End file.
